FIREFLY Animated Series in Development with Original Cast Reprising Roles

 
You can't stop the signal.

Deadline has word from Awesome Con in Washington, D.C. that actor Nathan Fillion has announced that an animated series based on the 2002 Fox TV series Firefly is currently in advanced development.

According to the article, Fillion made the announcement while speaking at a panel at the event and live taping of his Once We Were Spacemen podcast, alongside co-stars Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau, all of whom are expected to reprise their roles. Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne Cobb, will also lend his voice to the project.

Firefly was a space Western drama set in the 26th century that explored the lives of a group of people, some of whom fought on the losing side of a civil war, making a living on the fringes of society aboard the transport ship Serenity. The two surviving superpowers, the United States and China, united to form the central federal government, called the Alliance.

The animated relaunch is being developed through Fillion’s production company Collision33 in partnership with 20th Television Animation, which controls the rights to the franchise. Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Reaper) are attached to serve as showrunners, and a script has been completed. Joss Whedon, who created the original television series, is not involved in the animated project.

The proposed series is set in the timeline between the original TV series and the 2005 feature film sequel Serenity, expanding the mythos while keeping the established canon. Early concept art, shown above, was developed in collaboration with the Oscar and Emmy-award-winning animation studio ShadowMachine. The fully assembled proposal package is expected to be sent out to buyers shortly.

Fillion, who played Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on the series, said to Deadline, "The dedication of Firefly fans has kept this 25-year-old show relevant. Clearly, the return of Firefly is something the fans want. More importantly, it’s something they deserve."